Non-profit in Canandaigua to focus on lakefront development

A non-profit organization in Canandaigua dormant since the late 1990s will reform and focus its efforts on redevelopment of lakefront properties, program officials and officials with the city of Canandaigua announced Friday.

The Canandaigua Area Development Corp., which was founded in 1962, will re-form to work on the redevelopment of properties along Lakeshore Drive, opposite Kershaw Park.

Most of the properties are owned by local developer David Genecco, who had initially proposed a multimillion-dollar mixed-use development for 31 acre project site, CADC officials said. Those plans are being evaluated and updated from 2007 to now to best meet the needs of the community, officials added.

“CADC’s plan is to conduct a feasibility study of these properties to better determine what type of development the market, and the community can support,” said George Hamlin, CADC board president. “Once the feasibility study is completed, we will then work to issue a competitive request for proposals to prospective developers, ideally within the year.”

The collaboration involves both the public and the private sectors. The city of Canandaigua and the Ontario County Local Development Corporation will join community partners in sharing the roughly $120,000 needed for the feasibility work.

“The redevelopment of the lakefront project site along Lakeshore Drive is critical to the city’s future,” said Ellen Polimeni, Canandaigua mayor. “There is no question that this site is extremely important to the city and to our residents. This is an exciting time as our residents have been looking forward to seeing an appropriate use for these Lakeshore Drive properties.”

Richard Sands, chairman of Constellation Brands, will serve as one of the board members of the CADC, Hamlin said. Others will be named in the coming months.